DESCRIPTION: (Applicant's abstract) Assisted living facilities are one of the fastest growing means of providing assistance to the elderly but generally, the care is provided by untrained, nonprofessional caregivers. The objective of this project will be to develop a CD-ROM base assisted living employee training program focused on care for residents with Alzheimer's disease. The aims include: 1) conducting a training needs assessment regarding baseline knowledge of Alzheimer's disease by assisted living caregivers; 2) designing a CD-ROM based training program using one component, "Enhancing communication," for caregivers; 3) developing and testing the module on the CD-ROM; and 4) demonstrating the feasibility for development of an effective interactive, multimedia CD-ROM based training program to provide Alzheimer's disease dedication for caregivers. Assisted living caregivers will be surveyed to determine baseline knowledge of Alzheimer's disease. Through collaboration with technical and health related professionals, education of one aspect of Alzheimer's disease, "Enhancing communication," will be developed on interactive, multimedia CD-ROM. The CD-ROM prototype will be evaluated by assisted living caregivers and administrators to determine the effectiveness of education . If successful, a complete CD-ROM based Alzheimer's disease program will be developed which will include seven training modules to provide comprehensive Alzheimer's disease information in all domains of care. PROPOSED COMMERCIAL APPLICATION: NOT AVAILABLE